The Carrier
by Livinginthesunlight
Summary: Handy is thrown into a dangerous quest to help an ancient family when a strange glowing woman falls from the sky and bestows upon him a rare and powerful magical ability. However, there are those who love to see him fail..sorry, I know it's a bad summary
1. Chapter 1

**I am experiencing writer's block over another story I have going right now, so I thought I'd start on another idea I had. This story takes place after the events of the series. The smurfs have made it back home from their time travels (the ninth season always annoyed me immensely, especially when they never made it back home, so I decided to remedy that), and have returned to their normal lives. Not that that will last long...**

**I don't own the smurfs, but if I did, Handy would be the star of every episode ****. **

Chapter 1

"Is that everything Handy?" Hefty called up through the trees. Handy looked down from his spot on the needle covered tree branch as he took a quick mental inventory. Hemp for rope, the new trees from Timber, pine needles, tree sap...

"Not quite," Handy replied as he made his way back down the tree. "I still need oak leaves. If we get those I'll have enough building supplies to last me the rest of the month." He, Hefty, Smurfette and Brainy had been out gathering supplies for Handy's upcoming inventions since early that morning.

"Does that mean we have to go _all the way_ to the _Great Oak?" _Brainy asked in that nasally voice that always made Handy grind his teeth. No smurf, except for Clumsy, ever got along with Brainy, but Handy had a particular dislike of the bespectacled smurf. "We've been out here _for hours_! If you ask me—"

"We didn't ask you Brainy," Smurfette informed him. She pushed her long blond hair out of her face and frowned at Brainy. "Handy is always repairing things for us; it's the least we can do to help him!"

"Yeah!" Hefty added as he helped Handy pile the pine needles onto the already overflowing cart they had brought with them. "So smurf up! Great Oak, Handy?" he added.

"'Fraid so," Handy said. "The Great Oak has the best leaves in the forest, and the invention I have in mind needs the best supplies." The four smurfs started to walk in the direction of the giant tree. As they walked, Handy thought about his next invention. He had decided long ago that he wanted this invention to be a surprise for every smurf. He hadn't told anyone what it was—not Hefty, his best friend; not Papa Smurf; not even Marina, when she had come to visit, for he had something in mind for her too.

Marina—even now, more than six years after he had first met her, his mind still went fuzzy and his heart still seemed to beat twice as fast when he thought about the beautiful mermaid. It was so unsmurfy that he had found his true love, only for them both to realize that as much as they belonged with each other, they could never belong to each other's worlds. _Well, never mind, _Handy thought. _If I can get this to work, it won't matter that she can't walk on land and I can't breathe under water. _

Handy was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he didn't notice the strange shape plunging down from the sky until Hefty grabbed his shoulder and pulled him behind a tree; Smurfette had done the same to Brainy. He snapped out of his lovesick thoughts very quickly. "Hefty, what-"

"Look!" Hefty said softly, pointing to the shape. Staring upwards, Handy realized that the strange form hurtling downward was what at first seemed to be an elderly human woman. But he had never seen a human, not even a wizard or witch, glow with purple fire, or cry tears of what looked like liquid amethyst as she fell earthward.

But even that was not as strange as what he saw in the sky above her. Just above the trees was what seemed to be a carriage pulled by horses; it too was glowing—only its glow was crimson, and the horses weren't real horses—they looked more like fire versions of the NightMares found in Morphio the Dream Demon's world. Atop this was a tall, dark haired man who was also shining with the bizarre red glow. He called after the woman, in a voice that was surprisingly cold for someone with so much fire, "What a shame. Such a powerful Gift, and no one to pass it on to. Farewell, my dear!"

A second later, there was a great _thump_. The woman's fall had ended. The man laughed, lifted an arm—and vanished. Smurfette gasped.

"What—in the name of _smurf—_was that all about?" Hefty said after a moment. He was unusually pale, and he wasn't the only one—Smurfette and Brainy were both two shades lighter than usual, and Handy was sure that he wasn't looking too healthy himself. He certainly felt—odd.

"I don't know—I've never seen a human glow like that," Handy said softly. He "But—but we should see if there's anything we can do to help that human." He started to walk in the directions that the woman had fallen, but Brainy grabbed his arm and pulled him back.

"Help her?!" he cried. "Handy, she's a human! You know what humans try to do to us, and she could be dangerous!"

"I—I know she could be dangerous," Handy replied slowly. He felt as though he was being physically dragged towards the strange glowing woman. "But I—I just have this feeling—I'm going to go see if she needs help!" Without another word, he shook Brainy's hand off his arm and took off through the forest.

"Handy!" Hefty shouted. Handy didn't even look back. Hefty turned to the other two. "Come on, we better follow him!"

***

Handy reached the woman and stopped short. She was no longer glowing the way she had been when she was falling—it had dimmed to a pale violet light. She lay flat on her back on the forest floor, eyes closed, long gray hair spread out like a fan around her head. Handy's stomach reeled as he saw the arrow. It was glowing with dim red light, and was buried in the woman's chest. She was alive, but only just—her breathing was uneven and ragged.

As the other smurfs drew level with Handy her eyes fluttered and opened. The smurfs were startled to see that they were the exact same shade as the dim glow now surrounding her. They would have been lovely eyes, had they not been so bloodshot and teary. 

"Can't go...yet," she gasped. Her voice was lovely too, despite how gasping and breathless it was. "Need to...pass it on...Matthew..." She tried to sit up, but she was too weak.

"Um..excuse me..."Smurfette said. "We—" she stopped as the woman's head jerked towards the sound of her voice.

"Who..." she gasped. Her eyes found Hefty, Brainy, Smurfette—then fixed on Handy, staring until Handy wanted to move away from her...but he couldn't. He was rooted to the spot.

"Oh...thank Heaven..." she said. "My...carrier..." and with a sudden swift movement at odds with her apparent weakness she lunged sideways and seized Handy. That snapped him out of his trance in an instant.

"HEY! Let me g-" he fell silent as the woman's glow traveled through her body, up her arm, into her hand—and, much to Handy's astonishment, into his own body.

The forest, the other smurfs—all vanished. All that he could see was that bizarre purple glow. And then the woman spoke, and it seemed to Handy she was speaking directly to his thoughts.

"Listen to me, little blue creature," she said. Her voice was much stronger in his mind than it had been out loud. "My name is Esa, Esa of Elm Peak. My family is one of the few ancient lines to hold a magical ability called the Gift. You must find...must find..." her mind voice grew weaker. "Find...Matthew of Elm Peak...he is...Gift-less...he'll know what to do...good...good...luck and...thank you." The glow began to fade.

Handy found he could speak. "Wait! What are you talking about?" he cried, but the woman was slipping away. He stretched out a hand as if to stop her, and realized his hand was glowing purple. He started to tremble. "Why me?" Abruptly the glow faded. He was back in the forest. Esa's body lay before him. She was gone, her eyes glazed and chest still. Handy looked at his hand again. It still glowed with that plum coloured light. It wasn't just his hand either; his entire body seemed to be glowing as though lit from within with some strange purple lamp. It felt odd, like water boiling just beneath his skin, but it at least it didn't hurt.

"Ha-Handy?" someone whispered. Handy turned to see Hefty, Smurfette and Brainy staring at him. "Handy," Smurfette said softly. "What—what just happened? You're..." she slowly crossed the forest floor and laid a hand on his arm. "You don't feel any different," she said uncertainly. "But..."

Handy shook his head. "I don't really understand what just happened myself," he told her. "Let's...let's forget the oak leaves. We should get back to the village and ...maybe Papa Smurf can tell us more."

"What about the woman?" Hefty said. "We shouldn't just leave her here."

"We can get the other smurfs," Handy said. "And maybe we can find some way to give—Esa—a proper burial."

"How do you know her name?" Brainy demanded.

"She told me," Handy replied. "I guess you just didn't hear it." He didn't want them to know that she had seemed to be speaking from within his own head.

Suddenly the entire forest seemed to be spinning, and standing seemed like far too much work. Handy sank to the ground and put his suddenly heavy head in his hands.

"Handy, what's wrong?" Smurfette cried, as Hefty rushed to Handy's side.

"I..." Handy wasn't sure what exactly he was going to say, but it didn't matter; one moment he was looking at the other smurfs anxious faces, and the next the world had gone black.

Black, with a hint of purple.

**This isn't the best thing I've ever written, but I didn't want to write it to improve my writing skills; I just had an idea that needed to be put down in writing. I will be continuing this story, though I'm not sure exactly when the next update will be; I'm rather busy at the moment preparing for a university audition. I'll try to update soon though, I promise!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Lo-o-ooong chapter compared to the last one. I wanted to get some explanations out of the way so that we can get to the action. **

Chapter 2

"—that man with a red glow—"

"He _killed_—"

"Yes, it was very—"

Handy's return to awareness was slow. He heard the other smurfs whispering, but he felt so exhausted that he couldn't yet bring himself to open his eyes. The boiling-water sensation still hadn't gone away, and he assumed that the bizarre glow was still there as well.

"Handy," a hand was shaking his shoulder. "Handy, wake up!" Handy felt weary enough that he would have ignored the command -- had it not been made in Papa Smurf's voice. With great effort, since he felt as though his eyelids were weighted down, he forced his eyes open.

He was back at home, in his bed. Papa Smurf, Hefty, Smurfette and Grandpa were clustered around him, looking anxious. Handy looked at his hands. Still glowing.

"How do you feel, Handy?" Papa Smurf asked him.

Handy smiled weakly. "I'll felt smurfier Papa Smurf," he replied. "But I'm all right, just a little tired." Suddenly he remembered, and started to sit up. "Oh my smurfness, Esa!"

"I went back there with some smurfs went back to the spot where we left her," Hefty told him. "But she was gone. The only thing left was the arrow." Hefty said all this in a voice that sounded like he was trying to sound casual, but failing miserably.

_Well, of course, _Handy thought. _It must be hard to be casual when your best friend is glowing like he just swallowed a purple firefly. _He lay back again, uncomfortably aware of the odd looks they were all giving him.

"Listen youngster," Grandpa said. "Hefty, Smurfette and Brainy have told us about what happened the way they saw it, but from the sounds of it you saw or heard something they didn't."

"Then she _was _speaking directly to my mind," Handy exclaimed.

"She was sp—is that how you know her name?" Smurfette said incredulously.

"Yes," Handy told them. He told them every detail of his strange experience in the forest. By the end of it, Smurfette, Hefty and Grandpa were staring at him with expressions of disbelief. Papa Smurf, however, looked thoughtful.

"The Gift..." he said slowly. "I believe I have seen something about that in one of my books. Give me some time to find it. In the meantime, I think you should try and get some rest Handy."

"But I'm feeling much better Papa Smurf," Handy protested. It was partially true. The paralysing exhaustion that had gripped him just minutes ago seemed to have eased off while he was telling them his strange tale, even if the boiling feeling still nagged at him.

"That's good to hear," Papa Smurf told him. "But until we can smurf out more about your—erm—condition, I don't want to risk you fainting again."

"But—," Handy gasped at a sudden sharp pain in his right hand. The glow around it had intensified tenfold, until he couldn't even see his hand beneath the glow anymore. Even as he stared at it the glow faded back to "normal", but something was different. The was now a strange marking on the back on his hand—it looked like someone had taken a dark purple pen and drawn a small, intricate sketch of a tree. The boiling sensation was worst in that spot.

Papa Smurf took his hand and looked at the mark for a moment, then gasped. "Great smurfs of fire," he said. "Now I know I've seen this before! I'll be back in a moment Handy!" Without another word he turned and left Handy's house. Handy looked at the other three smurfs again. They were still staring at him as though he had two heads. He couldn't blame them really, but he still wished they would stop.

"So," he said after an uncomfortably long silence. "What—what happened after I um, fainted?"

They seemed relieved that someone had broken the silence. "Well," Hefty said. "We couldn't wake you up, so I pulled you up onto the cart and we smurfed you back here."

"The supplies we gathered are in your workshop," Smurfette told him. Just as Hefty had earlier, she seemed to be trying to put up an act of normalcy. "We put them into your storage room."

"Thanks for smurfing that for me," Handy said, smiling. "What happened next?"

"When they got back here, Papa Smurf was at Homnibus's," Grandpa said. "So they came and found me, and we got you back here. You've been out for quite a while, youngster."

"Really?" Handy said, surprised. "What time is it?"

"It's been almost a full day since you blacked out," Smurfette said. "We were afraid you would never wake up!"

"A full day?!" Handy cried. "Great smurfs!" It was so strange to think that so much time could go by, and he wouldn't notice it at all. _No stranger than glowing purple, I suppose, _he thought. Then something occurred to him. He dreaded the answer to the question that had just come to his mind, but he just had to ask it.

"Where was Brainy during all of this?" he asked.

Just as he had dreaded, the looks on their faces grew angry and apprehensive. Brainy the blabbersmurf had been at it again. "What did he tell the other smurfs?" Handy asked.

"Well," Smurfette said. "He started out by telling them that it was only thanks to him that we ever smurfed out of the forest alive." _Oh, typical,_ Handy thought.

"But," Hefty said, sounding hesitant. That was a bad sign. When Hefty said something to say, he didn't hesitate to say it. "He also started saying how—how—well, how unsmurfy that strange glow is."

"And?" Handy asked, dreading what was coming next.

"He has started to tell everysmurf that it may be—well—dangerous," Grandpa said. "Dangerous to allow you to remain in the village when we don't really know why it is your glowing like the harvest moon."

_Oh smurfs alive. _"They've—they've been listening to him?" Handy said.

They nodded weakly. "Most of them," Smurfette said sadly. "We've—Hefty, Grandpa, Papa and I—we've been trying to convince them otherwise, but..." she trailed off, looking teary. Thankfully Papa Smurf chose that moment to re-enter Handy's house.

"I've found it!" he said triumphantly. He was carrying a huge, weathered looking book. Papa Smurf stopped short when he saw the looks on their faces. "Whatever is the matter?" he asked. Then he seemed to realize. "Ahh. You've heard about Brainy's latest village gossip."

"Yes," Handy said softly. "Papa Smurf...what is he's right? What if I am too dangerous to keep in the village?"

Papa Smurf shook his head and put a comforting hand on Handy's shoulder. "Don't worry Handy," he told him. "I thinkI know exactly what is causing that strange glow, and I don't believe it will pose any danger to the others." So saying, Papa Smurf opened the book and started to read from it.

"_The Gift,_" he began. "_Is an extremely rare magical ability that manifests itself in the form of a colourful glow. Though the abilities it grants vary, the most common are the abilities of teleportation (instant travel from one place to another) and telepathy (reading other's thoughts)._**" **Papa Smurf turned the page._ "The Gift runs in certain families. It is in fact, so rare, that only fifteen family lines are known to possess it._" Here he stopped and looked up. "I received this book more than four hundred years ago, so it is outdated. I believe that that number has now dwindled to seven." He turned a page again and scanned the book for a moment. Then he tapped a spot on it and turned the book so that Handy could see it. It was a list of families known to have the Gift; smack dab in the middle was the name _Elm Peak. _Right next to the name was a picture of a marking that matched the one on Handy's hand.

"But what does that mean Papa Smurf?" he asked. "I can't be a part of their family; I'm a smurf, not a human!"

"You aren't part of their family line, Handy," Papa Smurf told him. He turned another page and continued to read. "_The Gift is unique in that it must be passed down from person to person in a family; it may only exist in one person at a time. This is a difficult transfer that must be made in person and before the death of the gifted family member, or the gift will be let loose in the world."_ He looked up again. "The last time a family's Gift was released, there was an earthquake that tore up the entire southern half of the forest."

"I remember that," Grandpa exclaimed. "It took over a century for that part of the forest to recover. That was only a few years before you youngsters were born."

Papa Smurf continued. "_On rare occasions, when the person who is to receive the Gift is not present at the time of death, it is possible for another person to take possession of the Gift temporarily, until the right person is found. These people are known as Carriers." _He looked up. "It is likely that that you fainted because your body got a bit of a shock from so much magical power being poured into it. It needed time to adjust."

"Esa..."Handy whispered. "She called me her carrier." Then something occurred to him. "Papa Smurf, why me? She didn't just choose me at random."

"You know, that's true," Hefty said thoughtfully. "She saw Brainy, Smurfette and I first. Why Handy and not one of us?"

"I'm getting to that, my little smurfs," Papa Smurf said, before continuing to read. "_The reason that carriers are so rare is that they must possess specific qualities in common with the Gifted family in order to be able to control the immense power of the Gift. These qualities vary from family to family._" He looked up again. "The family of Elm Peak," he told them. "Aren't just known for their magical Gift. They are also known to be resourceful, hard working—and renowned inventors."

"Just the way we describe Handy," Smurfette said in awe.

"And because she could read my mind," Handy said. "She knew that I had those qualities." He lay back in his bed, Feeling stunned. The boiling water feeling kept right on roiling inside him as he lay there, turning over a thought in his head; the feeling was a little distracting. Then he sat up again. "I have to find Matthew."

"Matthew?" the others chorused.

"Yes," Handy told them. "Esa told me that I had to find him and that he was Gift-less. She must have wanted me to pass it on to him. Papa Smurf, do you know where Elm Peak is?"

"Yes," Papa Smurf said. "But it will be a long trip, Handy. It would take several days walking, and that is the only way to get there; the way to Elm Peak is far too windy to risk taking Feathers into. What's more, the path to Elm Peak s far from easy to travel—its very dangerous!"

"Papa Smurf," Smurfette said. "You said that this...um...Gift...that it can be used to teleport?"

"Yes, but I don't think it would be a smurfy idea to try that," Papa Smurf replied. "Handy, the Gift is somewhat self-aware; it will allow you to carry it, but I don't think it would appreciate being used by anyone but its rightful owner."

"That's alright," Handy said. "I haven't the faintest idea how to use it anyway." He carefully sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed. Very slowly and cautiously, he stood up. No dizziness, no shakiness—he felt like he was back to normal. Well, except for that boiling water feeling. Which was getting steadily more unpleasant by the moment.

"Handy, are you sure you're smurfing well enough to travel?" Grandpa asked him, presumably concerned about how slowly Handy was moving.

"Believe me, Grandpa," Handy replied, wincing as his tingling feet protested their contact with the floor and his muscles groaned at being used after almost twenty-four hours of lying still. "The sooner I get rid of this thing, the better I'll smurf. I'll leave as soon as I've gathered some supplies."

"Wait just a smurfberry-picking minute, Handy!" Hefty said. "What is this about "I'll leave"? You aren't thinking of going alone are you?" The brawny smurf was frowning at Handy, arms akimbo. "Papa Smurf," Hefty continued, turning to the village elder. "Shouldn't a few of us smurfs go with him?"

"I agree," Papa Smurf said. "No Handy" he added as the carpenter smurf started to protest. "You are not going alone. It's far too dangerous for one smurf."

"But Papa Smurf, this has nothing to do with the rest of the smurfs!" Handy cried. "I don't want anyone to get in trouble on my account!"

"You're always helping us with our problems, Handy!" Smurfette said. "Remember when you built that smurfy machine that watered my flowers for me when I got the smurfy flu?"

"And the wheelsmurfer you built for me when I broke my leg?" Hefty added. "Smurfette's right—we owe you. And smurfs need to stick together. Your problems are our problems."

Handy was momentarily grateful for the Gift's glow. It was helping to hide the fact that he was blushing—from the feel of it, he was as red as a smurfberry. "Well," he said quietly. "When you smurf it that way..."

"Smurfy!" Papa Smurf said. "Smurfette, Hefty, Grandpa—will you all go?" All three nodded. "Good! I will go as well. Given the dangerous journey we have ahead, we may want to find at least two others to go as well."

"Will any of them want to go Papa Smurf?" Handy asked, worried. "From the sounds of it, Brainy has made sure that they don't think it's safe to be around me anymore."

"I'm sure that once we explain everything to them, they will come around," Papa Smurf told him. "Let's go smurf up some help!"

_Meanwhile, elsewhere: _

"She WHAT?!" thundered Yoric. Above the dark, sprawling castle, the sky seemed to shudder, and it sparked with crimson. Yoric growled, and with a snarl pulled his Gift back in. The Abyss Rock family's Gift had always been very sensitive to emotion—an unfortunate weakness.

"I'm s—s—sorry, my lord," the Sycophent stuttered. He had the mottled brown skin, yellow eyes and crimson robe that all of Yoric's sycophents wore, so Yoric had no idea who this one was. Not that it mattered—they all served the same purpose. He had created them to follow his every order. The wretched creature went on. "E—esa of Elm P—p—peak really did find a Carrier. Rowan and Fhlau saw it happen."

"And why," Yoric asked icily. "Did they not kill this Carrier on the spot?"

"T—they would have been caught in the--," the sychophent stopped short.

"Ahh," he said. "They were afraid of getting hurt were they? Couldn't handle a small natural disaster for the sake of their lord?" Yoric smiled as he said this, but his eyes were flashing red. The sychophent quivered and whimpered, and was about to say something else, but someone else cut in first.

"Perhaps this has worked out for the best, my lord," Carmena said, walking into the throne room. She was Yoric's advisor, not a sychophent, and so she looked at Yoric with a calm stare, as opposed to the expression of fear on the sychophent's face.

"OH?" Yoric said. "And what, my dear, do you mean by that?" His voice was still angry, but not in the firey way in which he had spoken to the sycophant. He had a great deal more respect for Carmena—and for her beauty. Long, silky blue-black hair, creamy pale skin, eyes as black as pitch—and just as emotionless.

"What I mean, my lord," Carmena said. "Is that rather than simply get rid of the Elm Peak Gift, perhaps you could find—another use for it. I have been working in the laboratory for many hours, and I believe I have found a way to finally succeed at what your Great-Grandfather tried to do many years ago."

Yoric's eyes sparkled, and he leaned forward in his chair. This was _news_! "You mean—his idea of blending--,"

"Yes, my lord," Carmena replied with a small smile. "A way to take the Elm Peak Gift for yourself, and add it to your own. With two Gifts my lord, you would be invincible! However, in order for this procedure to work..." she trailed off.

"I need to get that Carrier," Yoric finished. "_Alive." _ For a moment the room was still; Carmena stood with her hands folded behind her back, the sychophent silently shivered, and Yoric sat with his chin in his hand, looking thoughtful. Then Yoric stood.

"Carmena!" he barked. "Do you know the identity of the Carrier?"

"Yes," she replied. " The sychophent Rowan overheard his friends talking about him. He is not a human—he is a little blue creature known as a smurf. Handy Smurf is his name. He should be easy to spot—he has the Gift-light about him."

"Excellent! You!" Yoric turned to the sychophent. "Gather my best warriors! We have a Carrier to catch!"

"Y—yessir!" the sychophent stammered. "What shall we do with him when we catch him, my lord?"

"Have you not been paying attention you fool?" Yoric said in disgust. "I want him captured alive! We'll bring him back here!" The sychophent squealed and dashed out the door.

"_We, _my lord?" Carmena inquired.

"Of course," Yorid replied, heading for the door. "I can't entrust something as important as this to those ugly brown rats. I'll get the Carrier—they can take care of his friends. And you, Carmena, can ready the lab for the procedure." He smiled as he reached his armoury, and chuckled as he selected his best staff—oak with a large ruby set in the top. Then he laughed—a chilling, blood-curdling laugh that made anyone who heard it shake in fear.

"Handy Smurf," he muttered. "You will be mine."

Outside the castle, the clouds stirred and parted to reveal a blood red sun.

**Dun Dun DUUUUUUUNNNNNN!!! Please review!**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"Well," Hefty said after they had made it back to Handy's house. "That went absosmurfly nowhere." They had asked every smurf in the village, save the smurflings, but not one would agree to help. When asked why they were listening to Brainy, most smurfs looked vaguely uncomfortable, but they still wouldn't say they would go. Some of them had muttered about things they had to do, but the only ones with actual, legitimate reasons were Farmer, who had a field full of crops that would soon need harvesting, and Greedy, who was currently in charge of organizing all the food (a duty not everyone was convinced he should have). Everyone else had been making excuses.

_Excuses to not have to be near me, _Handy thought miserably. He sat down on his bed and put his head in his hands. He had never felt so betrayed. While he was grateful to Papa, Hefty, Smurfette and Grandpa, he had thought the others were just as loyal. _It _hurts _to find out I'm wrong._

"I don't understand it," Grandpa said, tapping the ground agitatedly with his walking stick. "I was sure that those whippersmurfers would see reason once we explained the Gift to them!"

"I'm afraid I was too late in telling them," Papa Smurf said. "Brainy put ideas in their heads, and now they can't bring themselves to smurf anything else." The old smurf sighed, then walked over to Handy and rested a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry Handy. We'll manage."

"If only Nanny was still around," Grandpa said sadly. "She would have helped." The old smurfette had passed away six months ago. Grandpa was right—she had been very fond of Handy, and would have helped them in a minute.

"Oh, never mind those other smurfs!!" Smurfette exclaimed. "We'll just have to go without them." The others nodded. Handy looked up and opened his mouth.

"Don't start Handy," Hefty said before the inventor could say so much as a word. "We're going with you, and that's the end of it." In between talking to other smurfs, Handy had spent the time walking around the village trying again to convince his remaining friends to let him go alone. They had refused every time.

Handy tried to argue, but his reply turned into a gasp of pain. The tree on his hand had darkened and seemed to be sparking like purple lightning, and his hand was shaking uncontrollably. "Papa Smurf!" he exclaimed, clutching his wrist, trying to stop the trembling. "What is it doing now!?"

"I—I don't know, Handy!" Papa Smurf replied. "But—"

What Papa Smurf said then, Handy never knew, as his house faded from his vision and the voices of the others from his ears.

It was kind of like the way it had been when Esa had spoken to Handy's mind in the forest. All Handy could see was pure, purple light. There were notable differences though—rather than a solid voice that spoke to his mind, it was more like a feeling of the words that were being said. Handy also found he could not move or speak—it felt as though his arms, legs and mouth hand been bound by invisible, iron strong bands.

**Wretched creature! **The feeling roared at him. **Release me **_**now**_**!! **Handy thought this rather ironic, since it seemed that he was the one who was captive at the moment.

The band on Handy's mouth loosened, and he could speak. "How can I release you when I don't even know who you are?" he said. Then he realized the identity of his captor. "Oh my smurfs—you're the Gift aren't you?" _Great smurfs, this is strange, _He thought to himself. _I'm talking to pure magic Well...Papa Smurf did say that the Gift was self-aware!_ Out loud, he continued, "I can't release you—for one thing, I don't know how, and for another, it would be too dangerous!"

The Gift snarled. The bands around Handy's arms and legs started to compress. **Release me, **it repeated, apparently having paid no heed to what Handy had said. Handy could hardly breathe, but he still gasped, "Don't—you—understand! I'm a--a—," he had to stop to attempt to draw in more air. "I'm—a—Carrier!!" Handy had to stop—he couldn't take in any air. His vision darkened at the edges. The Gift was the last thing he would ever see.

The bands suddenly loosened. Handy could breathe again; he gasped and coughed. The Gift was silent a moment more, and then it spoke again, sounding angry, but slightly doubtful, **You? You can't be...a little blue elf like you...**

"I'm not a little blue elf!" Handy protested. "I'm a smurf! And Esa passed you onto me! If you would just give me a chance, I can return you to your rightful master! Matthew? Matthew of Elm Peak?"

**You...you lie, **The Gift said, though it sounded uncertain. **But then...** **Esa...how do you know about Matthew...**

"Oh for the love of smurf!" Handy exclaimed, feeling bolder. "I know about Matthew because Esa told me when she transferred you to me! I swear that's the truth! And you've caused me nothing but trouble! Most of my village is now afraid of me, I feel like there's a geyser in my right hand, and now my few remaining friends are putting themselves in danger on my account, and it's all because of YOU!"

**Enough!** The Gift shouted at him. **If you're to be my Carrier, then go to Elm Peak at once!! I do not wish to remain with you any longer than I must! **

"I can't just go there right away! It's a few days journey from my village!" Handy replied. "Although if you would just teleport me there--," he was cut off as the band around his mouth tightened again.

**NO,** The Gift said this with such force that Handy felt it in his bones. **Even if it does get me there more quickly, I vowed never to allow anyone other than my rightful master utilize my power. If this means it takes a few days longer, so be it. Alright smurf, I'll return you to your friends so that you can leave. But first I should probably warn you about one more thing. As you have noticed, you lack the ability to hide my Gift-light. This means that you'll be as good as a beacon to certain others who desire the Elm Peak gift, namely one Yoric of Abyss Rock. **Handy shivered at the contempt in the Gift's voice when he said that name. _That must have been the man who killed Esa, _Handy thought. The Gift continued, **He has been after those who have carried me for years, and since you cannot use me, you will be vulnerable to him. Fortunately, there is a way to conceal the light; wear a cloak with a hood and pocket that can hold a perfectly formed pearl and a violet, either dead or alive. Just remember—don't take off the cloak, put down the hood, or lose the violet or pearl—the concealment will be rendered useless. Now be gone! **The Gift catapulted Handy forward.

He was back in his house again, sitting on the floor, with the others looking at him anxiously. _Déjà smurf, Handy_ thought as he carefully stood up. His hand had stopped shaking and sparking.

"Handy, what exactly just happened to you?" Papa Smurf asked. "Your eyes *smurfed purple, and then you just sank down to the ground and wouldn't respond to us!"

"That's just what happened in the forest!" Hefty cried. Handy sighed, and told them about his exchange with the Gift.

"Well, I have some violets, and Grandpa, maybe Handy could borrow your cloak?" Smurfette said when he was done. Grandpa nodded. Smurfette continued, "But how can we get a pearl?"

"I think I know who could help us find one," Grandpa said, avoiding Handy's eyes for the first time that day. Handy blinked, uncertain of whom he meant. Then he gasped.

"No...No, I can't!" Handy cried. "I don't want her to see me like this!"

"Oh come on Handy!" Hefty said, catching on. "She loves you—she won't care about a little purple light, and she'll be sure to help us!"

"And remember, my little smurf," Papa Smurf said. "If you don't have a pearl, Yoric will be able to find you."

"Ohhh...." Handy muttered. "Alright. We can go see her. I still wish she didn't have to see me like this."

"I doubt she'll care Handy," Smurfette said, smiling. "If the way she looked at you the last time she came to visit was any indication." The others chuckled.

Handy was once again thankful for the purple glow hiding his blushing face.

"Well, if that's settled," Papa Smurf said. "Handy, Hefty, go ready one of the sailboats. Smurfette and Grandpa, you can gather supplies we'll need for the journey—remember to get the cloak and violet. I'll go map out our route." He, Grandpa and Smurfette headed out to perform their duties. Hefty started to follow, then stopped when he realized Handy wasn't following him. The brawny smurf turned to Handy and said, in the gentle voice he reserved for only his closest friends, "It'll be alright Handy, you'll see. She'll understand. The other smurfs will too; sooner or later they'll realize that they've been listening to Brainy, and they'll wonder what in the smurf they were doing!" Handy smiled at that, and silently followed his best friend.

_Well, Marina, _He thought. _You'll be seeing me sooner than either of us ever imagined. Let's just hope you'll be happy for it._

The two smurfs headed for the docks.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4 

"Handy? Hefty?" Papa Smurf said. "Is the boat ready?"

"Yes Papa Smurf," the two smurfs replied. The five smurfs going on the journey stood on the deck of one of the sailing boats, under the watchful eye of the rest of the smurfs; they had gradually gathered on the side of the river. Not wanting to seem cowardly, Handy looked over at them once Papa Smurf finished talking to Hefty and himself, returning their stares with one of his own. At the same time, he tried not to look hostile—he didn't want them to fear him anymore than they already did.

Papa Smurf turned to Grandpa and Smurfette. "We have all the necessary supplies?" he asked them. "The cloak? The violet?"

"Yes, Papa Smurf," Smurfette replied. "I brought a bunch of violets, just in case."

"And my cloak is ready to smurf too," Grandpa said. "Here Handy—try it on for size." Handy took the weathered brown garment and carefully fastened it around his neck. Instantly he started to sweat—the cloak was relatively light, but it was a hot, humid day. _Well, better smurf used to it, I suppose, _Handy thought.

"Perfect fit!" Grandpa said in approval. "The pocket is sewn on the inside, on the left—it's plenty big enough to fit a flower and a pearl." Handy accepted a violet from Smurfette and put it in the pocket. The outfit wouldn't conceal the light until he had the pearl, but he wanted to get used to it.

Finally Papa Smurf turned to one more current occupant of the boat—Tailor Smurf. "Tailor, you're in charge until we return," Papa Smurf said. "We'll be back soon to drop off the boat, and then we will be gone for several days on foot. Listen to Tailor while we're gone, my little smurfs, and we'll see you all again soon!!" he added, raising his voice so that the others could hear him. In the front of the crowd, Handy could see that Brainy was sulking—he had, as always, wanted to be the leader. The others looked as though they approved of Tailor being in charge though—they were nodding.

"Well," Papa Smurf said. "We'll see you soon Tailor."

"Sure thing Papa Smurf," Tailor replied. He hugged Papa smurf, clasped the hands of Grandpa and Hefty, and accepted a kiss from Smurfette. Finally he stood before Handy. Tailor hesitated for a moment, then—much to the astonishment of everysmurf – clasped his hand too.

"Good—good luck Handy," Tailor told him. "I'm sorry for ever listening to Brainy."

"That's alright Tailor," Handy replied shakily. Tailor nodded and stepped carefully off the boat and onto the shore of the river. Then, at a nod from Papa Smurf, he untied the rope that held the boat. The smurfs on the boat all headed to their various posts—Hefty managing the oars, Smurfette the sails, Papa Smurf and Grandpa navigating.

Handy was at the tiller. When they were a ways down the river, he glanced back at the gathering of smurfs, to find that they were waving at him. He turned back to the front with a smile. Seemed there was hope for them—and him-- yet.

_Two hours later: _

The boat was approaching Marina's home, and the closer they got, the more moony-eyed Handy became. He was still a little nervous of what she might think of this unsmurfy Gift, but he couldn't wait to see her again nevertheless. Hefty finally took over the tiller after Handy nearly steered the boat into rocks twice.

"Smurf a grip, Handy!" he said sharply, before turning to steer the boat away from near-death. "We'll never get to Marina's home if you crash the boat!"

"Sorry," Handy said sheepishly. He tried to ignore the grins on the faces of Smurfette, Papa and Grandpa and turned to stare out at the sea.

Instead he found himself looking into a pair of beautiful, dark eyes. He gasped as he realized just who the owner of those eyes was.

"Marina?!" he cried.

"Oh, Handy, it is you!" the mermaid replied happily. "Ajax and Hercules told me they thought they'd spotted you, but they weren't sure because you were—er—glowing."

Handy sighed in relief. She didn't seem terribly concerned about the glow. "It's a long story Marina," he replied. "But don't worry, the Gift is relatively harmless."

"The Gift?" she asked, sounding worried. "How in the name of Neptune did you get the Gift?"

"You know about the Gift, Marina?" Papa Smurf said, coming over to stand beside Handy.

"Oh, hello Papa Smurf!" Marina said. "Hello everyone! Yes, one of the families with the Gift is a family of mermaids—the Coral Plateau family, on the other side of the ocean. They're old family friends. I didn't think that smurfs could have the Gift though."

"I remember the book listing at least two families that were not humans," Papa Smurf said. "But it didn't specify. I had no idea mermaids could have the gift either."

"This Gift is not exactly mine," Handy told Marina. With some contributions from the other smurfs, he told her the short version of how he ended up with the Elm Peak Gift. Marina listened intently until they had finished, then winced and took Handy's hand.

"Oh Handy," she said. "You a Carrier...I wish you didn't have to but—," she leaned forward and up suddenly and kissed him. "If anyone can manage it, you can."

Still ignoring the grins on the other's faces, Handy smiled and kissed her back. "I hope you're right, my love," he whispered. Then he remembered why they had come out here in the first place. "Marina," he said, looking in her eyes. " It's smurfy to see you, but I'm afraid I'm not just here to visit. I need your help. I need a perfectly formed pearl."

"A pearl?" Marina asked, confused. "I can get one with no problem, but...why?"

"I need to hide this glow, and I need a violet and a pearl," Handy explained. "That's why I'm wearing this cloak. Otherwise Yoric--,"

"YORIC?!" Marina cried. "Yoric of Abyss Rock? He's carrying the Gift? Oh Handy!" Handy was taken aback. He never had mentioned the name of the man who had killed Esa, nor had he mentioned their family name. How did she know them?

"You've heard of him?" Smurfette asked, looking concerned.

"Yes—he--," Marina stopped and took in a deep breath. When she continued, it was in a voice shaky with tears. "There's something I didn't tell you. My family -- used to be Gifted."

There was a shocked silence.

"Then--," Papa Smurf said. "The two non-human families were both families of mermaids. What happened to your family's Gift Marina?"

"Werene of Abyss Rock, Yoric's Grandmother," Marina explained in a voice that was eerily void of any emotion. Her eyes were bright with tears. "I don't know what we did to offend her, but she had a grudge against us. She wanted revenge, and she also wanted to demonstrate her power to Yoric, who was only a child then, since she believed that he would one day carry the Gift.

"Werene attacked Pisces, my uncle, who was the one who carried the Gift," Marina continued. "She killed him. His Gift was released in the form of a giant hurricane that killed everyone in my family except for my father, two of my cousins, who now live at Coral Plateau, and me. We had been visiting our friends at the Coral Plateau when we were brought word of it. When we arrived back home..." She stopped, tears now falling freely from her eyes.

"Oh, Marina," Handy said. I'm so sorry..."

"Werene attacked your family because she was offended?!" Hefty said. "Is that entire family out of their smurf?"

"I don't know," Marina replied. "But I suspect that Yoric is just as volatile as his grandmother. When we got back home, Werene and Yoric were still there, both of them laughing—horrible, cold laughs." The memory seemed to harden Marina's delicate features into an angry mask. "I'll get you that pearl—I'll be back soon!" she abruptly turned and dove beneath the water.

"Poor Marina," Handy said softly. "This must be why she and her father never like to talk about their family." His sadness for Marina's family was mixed with a sudden, deep hatred of Yoric and the entire Abyss Rock family. It made him shiver; it was not a feeling he was familiar with. He didn't even hate Gargamel, Balthazar or any of the smurfs usual foes as much as he felt he hated Yoric right now. _Well, why not? _He thought. _He killed the family of the love of my life, and Esa, and smurf knows who else. He's also apparently trying to find me and either smurfnap or murder me. It makes sense that I'd feel so angry._

No matter how he tried to justify it though, it still scared him a little. Shaking his head to clear it, Handy looked up to see the other smurfs looking worriedly at him. _Boy oh smurf, is this getting old, _he thought.

Thankfully, Marina returned at that moment. "Here you are Handy," she said. Handy examined the pearl she handed him. It was perfectly smooth and seemed to shine in the sunlight. He glanced at the others. They nodded at him, and he put up the hood of the cloak and slipped the pearl into the pocket with the violet.

Immediately the glow disappeared. No, not disappeared—Handy could still sense its presence. But it was no longer so obvious. Experimentally, Handy put the hood down. The glow returned. He grinned and put the hood back up again. "Thanks, Marina," he said.

"You're welcome Handy," she replied, smiling at him. "And please—get to Elm Peak, and then get back home. Promise me you will not go near Yoric if you can help it!"

_Smurfs above, she read my mind! _Handy thought. Pushing aside his uncharacteristically vengeful thoughts, he said, "Alright Marina. I promise." Then he leaned forward and kissed her again. "I love you." He whispered.

"I love you too, my dear Handy," Marina said, kissing him back. "Good luck!"

She waved as they turned the boat back in the direction they had come from, and kept waving until they could not see her anymore.

_Meanwhile:_

Yoric was furious. He had been tracking Esa's Carrier by way of a spell that allowed him to sense Gift-light. He had been urging his flame-steeds on towards the signal, confident that he had the little creature, when Handy had simply vanished from his magical sight.

"Horrid little blue _rat!_" Yoric growled. The sycophents nearest him flinched as his Gift screamed and stirred up miniature whirlwinds. Yoric gritted his teeth and pulled it back in before it could topple his carriage. Then he waved a hand and impatiently tapped his right ear and his mouth. Instantly he heard Carmena say, as though she was right next to him, "Yes, my lord?"

"Carmena, the smurf's Gift-light has vanished!" he yelled.

Carmena was as calm as ever. "That is unusual, my lord," she said evenly. "But there are ways to conceal it. Somehow he must have found out how to hide the Elm Peak Gift."

"How could he have?" Yoric argued. "Only someone with control over the Gift can hide the light! He is only a Carrier."

"You forget, my lord," Carmena replied. "Every family has an alternate way of hiding their Gift, should their control fail. Perhaps the Gift itself told him. It would be unusual—no Carrier has ever been able to communicate with a Gift—but I see no reason it could not happen. The Elm Peak Gift is familiar with you by now, so I am sure it would see fit to try and protect the one who carries it."

"Well--," Yoric started to reply, but stopped as one of his sycophents pointed at the ocean below, babbling excitedly. Yoric was about to tell him to shut up when he saw what the hideous creature was pointing at.

It was a little boat, little enough that he could have held it in his hands. Four little blue creatures and one cloaked figure were onboard.

"M-master!" the sycophant said. "I recognize two of those creatures! They were w-with Handy smurf! The yellow haired one and the one with the hearts on his arms!"

At that moment, the boat had to abruptly steer away from a rock. The cloaked figure lunged to keep something from falling off the boat. In the process, the hood of the cloak fell back, revealing a little blue creature that glowed with a violet light. Almost immediately the creature pulled the hood back up, but Yoric knew what he had seen.

"Never mind Carmena," he said softly, smiling. "It seems my quarry has run straight into my clutches. I shall soon return."

_Back on the boat: _

"Something the matter, Handy?" Grandpa said. Handy jumped and looked up at him. After saving one of the packs from falling off the boat, he had returned to staring off into the distance, trying to calm his racing mind and failing miserably. The carpenter smurf sighed and rubbed the mark on his hand.

"Yes," he admitted to the older smurf. "I'm thinking about my promise to Marina. I don't know what it is, but something keeps making me think I should break it. I...I wish I could do something to avenge her family, and Esa, and everyone else Yoric killed."

Grandpa sighed. "I understand how you feel, whippersmurfer," he told him. "But you just have to remember that revenge doesn't bring back the dead. Besides, I'm sure that Yoric will eventually get what's coming to him. The humans call it 'karma'."

"Karma?" Handy asked.

"Yes, it's the idea that everything you do, good or bad, will eventually come back to you," Grandpa explained. "Do good things for people, and you'll eventually be rewarded. Do bad things...well, you'll regret it."

"That's a smurfy idea," Handy said thoughtfully. Then he grinned. "So does that mean that Brainy is going to be talked to death by someone else one day?"

Grandpa laughed. "Well, maybe. But do you see what I mean, Handy? Everything Yoric and the rest of his family have done will one day come back to haunt them. And they'll do it without you betraying your own good nature to help them along."

Handy liked that thought. "Thanks Grandpa!" he said. "That really—"

He never finished that sentence. Almost too fast for Grandpa's eyes to follow, a hawk that seemed to be entirely composed of red light had swooped down from the sky and seized Handy in one of its talons. It then proceeded to use its other talon to create a gigantic gash in the sail of the boat before flying away, carrying a stunned Handy with it.


	5. Chapter 5

**Put away the pitchforks please. I apologize for taking so long to update. It's just…well, life happens, you know? The last year or so has been a year of change for me, mostly good, some bad, but busy and very emotional in any case. I've had to say a lot of goodbyes (thankfully only one was for good) and have been adjusting to new surroundings. **

**Enough of my sob story. I'm back, and hopefully will be appearing more frequently now. For those who are still here for me, I thank you—you have been more patient than I deserve. For those who have given up on me—well, I don't blame you, and I hope this update begins to make up for it.**

Chapter Five

The hawk had come in so fast and with so little warning that it took Handy a moment to fully realize what had happened. When he did, he had to fight the urge to shout and try and squirm his way out of the hawk's grasp. Even if he could escape, the only place to go was the rock filled water far below him.

But oh _smurf, _it was hard. Carrying one Gift was bad enough; having two different Gifts in such close proximity made him feel like jumping out of his own skin. He also had the knowledge of where –or rather, to whom – he was being taken hanging over him. It wasn't that he was afraid of Yoric exactly—well, that was a lie, he definitely was—so much as the fact that his hatred of the Abyss Rock Gift-holder seemed to have formed itself into a knot somewhere in his stomach and yet still managed to pray on his mind.

It was unnerving to say the least. Handy hadn't known he was capable of it.

But it wasn't nearly as unnerving as what happened next.

The hawk's claws contracted to an almost unbearable level—and then let go. For a few terrible moments, Handy found himself free-falling, the ocean below rushing up towards him. He closed his eyes and prepared for the painful splash.

Instead he got a painful thump.

"OW!" he cried out. Rubbing his head, he opened his eyes and looked up to see just what it was that had saved his life.

When he saw it, he thought that he would have been better off falling into the ocean below.

He had landed on a floating carriage. Yoric's carriage.

"Y—you!" Handy gasped, scrambling to his feet. The knot of hatred flared to life, telling him to take revenge, for Marina, for Esa, for everyone Yoric's family had made suffer. Only his promise to Marina held him back.

Well, that and there was absosmurfly nothing he could do. He had no weapons, and the Gift wouldn't allow itself to be used by him. He was helpless.

Great smurfs, was he sick of being helpless!

"So we finally meet, Handy Smurf," Yoric said. "It was kind of you to take such good care of what will soon be my Gift." He smiled, and his eyes flashed red. Handy found himself surrounded by several strange creatures with mottled brown skin. They were clearly trying to look menacing, but Handy could

see that they were afraid of him, or at least of the Gift-light.

Handy made himself look contemptuously at Yoric. "You have to use your underlings to try and intimidate me?" he said, scorn in his voice. "That must be quite a smurfy Gift you have if it can't even deal with someone of my size without help."

Yoric's smile turned into a scowl. "Do not make things harder for yourself, Handy Smurf," he snarled. "I can make you writhe in agony until you are _pleading _for death. Since I cannot promise what the process of taking the Elm Peak Gift from you will feel like, I would enjoy that lack of pain while you have it."

Handy gaped incredulously at Yoric. One Gift was enough to cause a hurricane or earthquake—was Yoric really crazy enough to want two? "You—you're out of your mind," Handy whispered. "Have you even thought about what might happen if someone who is Gifted in your family dies without someone to pass the Gift onto?"

"You are an insolent little fool," Yoric growled. A tendril of red light shot from one of his hands and wrapped around Handy's neck. "Don't you see it? With two Gifts I will be invincible! Immortal!"

"Or dead," Handy said without thinking. He immediately regretted it as the light tightened around his neck. His vision blackened at the edges, and he had a horrifying feeling that if he lost consciousness now, he might never get it back. Gasping and clutching at the band of light, he looked up at Yoric, who was smiling again. The man lifted a hand; the light loosened its hold. Handy could breathe again.

"Give up," the man whispered. "You cannot fight me. Take my word for it; those wretched merpeople tried to fight the Abyss Rock gift. He cackled. "You can guess how well that went for them! Soft hearted fools!"

The fear went out of Handy in a flash, to be replaced with white hot fury. This—this—_abomination_ of a human was laughing at the deaths of Marina's family, speaking of them as if they were nothing. He was expected to simply allow it?

A stabbing pain seared his hand. Holding it in front of his face, Handy saw that the tree marking was starting to glow. The brown creatures stepped back, gasping.

_This is not a good time, _he furiously thought to the Gift.

**Then stop! **It replied, sounding—was it possible?—alarmed.

_Stop? _Handy asked. _What—_

It was then that a blast of purple light shot from his palm.

It made a beeline for Yoric, who shouted something incomprehensible. A wall of red appeared in front of him, clearly meant to act as a shield. The purple light bounced of the wall and hit the red band around Handy's neck; both purple and red vanished.

_What is going on? _ He asked the Gift. _Where did that come from? _

**You **_**summoned **_**it! **__It replied, sounding furious. **What kind of power do you have, that you can steal the use of a Gift that is not yours?**

Handy was about to reply when a flicker of movement caught his attention. One of the brown skinned creatures was moving towards him. Without thinking, he held up his hands in defense; another blast of purple light exploded from them, knocking the creature flat on its back.

_I'm not doing this! _ Handy protested. _You said yourself that I can't use your poWWEERRR! _The carriage had tilted violently to one side. Handy clutched the floorboard for dear life and watched in horror as several of the brown creatures were flung off the side.

**I should think I would know when I am being used! **the Gift snapped as the carriage struggled to right itself. **I do not know what kind of power you're hiding, Handy Smurf, but—look out!**

Handy glanced up and lunged aside just in time to avoid a bolt of red light from Yoric. The man was now struggling to keep his feet, his eyes burning with rage.

"You dare," he began, his hand held aloft, clearly readying himself for another shot. Yoric was clearly dishevelled, or Handy would likely be either dead or unconscious by now.

Handy thought frantically, considering his options. Fight back? No, even if he could use the Gift he wasn't a match for Yoric. Keep avoiding Yoric? Hardly, he'd run out of space very quickly. Surrend—NO. Never.

Then, out of the corner of his eye, Handy saw something that he had never imagined he would be pleased to see, and decided to do something he'd never thought he'd be willing to even consider.

Heart thumping painfully, Handy turned and leapt off of the carriage just as Yoric shot another blast of red at him, the enraged Gift-holder's shout echoing behind him.

_Please let this work, _Handy prayed silently. Forcing back the panic of his free-fall, he closed his eyes and imagined himself slowing down, drifting rather than plummeting. He was vaguely aware of his hands pulling his hood back over his head, stifling the light that still shone from every inch of his body, and of air rushing past his ears so loudly he was surprised he wasn't going deaf. When that sound disappeared, he opened his eyes—

And landed gently on the roof that had been his target, as light-footed as a cat. He looked up, one hand on his hood to keep it up, to see the carriage far above him—_very _ far above him. He shook as he realized just how close he had come to falling to his death. When he considered how he had avoided that fate, it made him shake even more.

The Gift apparently had no sympathy for his feelings. Without the slightest warning Handy was plunged back into that purple void, his arms, legs and mouth once again bound by invisible bands.

**You are despicable! **The Gift bellowed at him. **You are no smurf! You are a demon! How else could you –manipulate me like that!**

It was clearly trying to intimidate him, but Handy had had quite enough of being thrown about like a toy being fought over by children. Narrowing his eyes, he fought against the band that gagged him, until he freed his mouth enough to speak. The strain of it slowed his words, but did not dampen his resentful tone.

"In case—you—hadn't—noticed," he said jarringly, fighting for each word. "I just—saved—you—from—Elm Peak's—greatest—enemy. I don't—know why I—can smurf your—power. But—it seems—to—me—that—all I did—was—what I was meant—to do!" He gasped for breath, wary of the Gift re-sealing the band.

It didn't. After a moment, it said,** What do you mean?**

"I'm your carrier, aren't I?" Handy said, grateful for a reprieve from fighting to get out so much as one word. "I am supposed to prevent anything from happening to you before you can get Matthew. Maybe it was just a case of drastic times needing drastic measures."

**Perhaps, **the Gift said, sounding doubtful. **But there have been many 'drastic times', as you say, in Elm Peak's history. There have been 88 carriers before you, and not one was able to use me. But then…** Handy had the strangest feeling that it was studying him. **But then, **it continued, **not one had your strength of mind either. If it is as you claim, and you have no magical power of your own, it is a great waste for the world. You would have gone down in history as one of the greatest mages of all time.**

Handy simply sat for a moment, stunned. Had he just been complimented by a force that only moments before had hated him? "Be careful," he said shakily. "If you keep talking like that people may think you actually like me."

**I still do not like you, **The Gift growled. **I am still not yours. I am stating a fact. I am currently residing in your mind and therefore have had ample opportunity to study it. You are a very intelligent being with a strong will, and if you must use me in times of emergency, I cannot prevent it. That does not make us friends.**

"How sad for me," Handy replied sarcastically. "Now let me out. We can't stay here long. I got us away from Yoric, but we have another problem to deal with now."

**What do you mean? **The Gift asked, almost warily, even as the bands released Handy's limbs and the carpenter smurf's vision slowly cleared.

"I mean," Handy said, getting to his feet and peering off the edge of the roof. "That we've jumped out of the fire and into the frying pan—and now we have to talk it into helping us."

It was then that Gargamel came out of his hovel.


End file.
